In Short

Mothers, grandmothers, aunts or grandaunts – every family has one well-respected matriarch, whose name is synonymous with the yummiest food you ever tasted. What is more, these dishes are always topped with a special ingredient – love.

It was with this familiar warmth that our Women’s Ministry celebrated their 14th anniversary on 21 January 2024. The wide spread of food, which comprised hearty porridge and pasta, nourishing red bean soup, freshly home-baked cookies, as well as a cake section sassily termed “The Bakery,” formed a mini-buffet.

Quite clearly, our women wanted to feed everyone who showed up for the feast.

Formed in 2010, the Women’s Ministry focusses on church women, organising a myriad of activities that allows members to grow spiritually and forge bonds. Often the prayer is to sow and teach the meaning of the gospel.

“I love organising the annual Christmas evangelistic tea with my core team. It’s a great joy to see God bringing pre-believers to participate in our programs,” shares Deacon Koh Siew Peng, who chairs the ministry.

“The Christmas tea is my favourite project. I would be thinking of and dreaming about Christmas tea at the start of every new year,” she says.

Recently, three MPVs took 27 women on a day trip to Johor Bahru. The women gathered at MRT stations where they boarded their MPVs for a day of fun, spa and shopping.

When they returned at 9pm, their bags were filled with clothes, sandals, medications, shampoo, potato crisps, and table-cloths.

They brought along a small group of non-church friends.

Like Siew Peng, Grace Tan is a veteran with the women’s ministry. Grace: “I guess many of us love travelling. After these trips, many sisters want to go again. Those who didn’t go say we mustn’t leave them behind the next time!”

The ministry is not only about shopping, day trips, cooking demonstrations, floral arrangements and sipping coffee. Church member Geraldine Mok says: “I enjoyed the book study on Eugene Peterson’s A Long Obedience in the Same Direction led by Siew Peng. This book was about God’s faithfulness and took more than a year to finish. But it edified and equipped us.”

Despite its programs, the women’s ministry has struggled for several years to attract women.

“Our difficulty is in getting younger women to come. Most of our activities are held on Saturdays, so young women with babies, toddlers and primary school kids don’t come. Over time, I think we are becoming a bit of an ‘old ladies’ get-together,’” says Geraldine, with a laugh.

Low Wee Jin, a mom with four sons, agrees. “It is difficult. Not just with younger women with children, also with young singles, too.”

While their 14^th anniversary celebration may not fix things, Siew Peng is not ready to give up.

She says: “Even if things don’t change very much in the future, we have learned to be content with the small turnout. We’ll be meeting and doing stuff every January, March, May, July, September and November. We will serve women and serve God.”

Grace continues: “I’ve benefitted from different sisters sharing about their different seasons and the struggles they have faced in their lives. This has encouraged and taught me so much.”

Michelle Ng is a teacher. She came to True Way with her husband and daughter in 2019. She also serves in the Shabach Choir.

YAY is “Young Adults-And-Youth”. If you don’t already know, YAY is the brand-new church project that is led by young people for young people. Not a lot about YAY is set down on screens at this point, but you’re right, YAY is simply YAM and YZ coming together, and, hey, let’s just see what happens!

YAY runs, er, on renewable power, I mean, social media. It’s young and energetic. It’s grassroots, it’s ground-up, not top-down.

No, it’s not really an underground thing because, well, the whole church was watching and waiting after everybody heard the news in March.

Well, YAY debuted on 14 April with a loose Sunday afternoon of fun-filled quizzes and treasure hunt held in church (mostly the multi-purpose hall).

There was a ‘decent’ turnout that day. “It was very nice to see ‘older’ folks making the effort to talk to YZ teens and YAMmers,” says Feranda Chua, 27, one of the YAY leaders. To be sure, ‘older’ folks on that day only meant young adults aged 24 to 27.

Two weeks after the games afternoon, YAY returned with a clothes swap on 28 April. A clothes swap is an occasion where people bring their preloved clothes for exchange. No money changes hands. No cash register. No sales logs. Not about turning a profit. Clothes swaps rest on the social justice ideas of sustainability and resource sharing. The idea is you shouldn’t throw your old corduroy jeans away because someone else might want them.

The swap organisers – Feranda and Emma Lee, 25– knew people wouldn’t mind picking up a smart top for free. And, who knows, there may be one or two secret vintage clothing enthusiasts who’d show up as well!

At this fashion event, there were no teen boys. A few young men in their twenties came to browse. But they felt the range of men’s clothes was small.

And even though YAY does not cater to people older than 35, quite a few ‘aunties’ came to ‘support’ the clothes swap. An ‘uncle’ who looked to be in his 60s examined the shirts on the rack.

Feranda: “This was our first clothes swap and I didn’t expect so many people. We’re so happy! We are glad everyone went home with their bags of new, old clothes!”

Additional reporting by Lee Chung Horn. Yang Hai Kun joined True Way Presbyterian Church English Congregation in 2021 after returning from his studies overseas. He is 27 and works as a lawyer.

Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors. All rights reserved. Please address correspondence to TOGETHER, True Way Presbyterian Church English Congregation, 156B Stirling Road, Singapore 148947. Email: [email protected]

Editor-in-chief Lee Chung Horn • Subeditors/writers Soh Lay Bin, Joyce Peh, Michelle Cheong, Kevin Chua, Jakin Heng, Gracia Lee, Michelle Ng, Yang Hai Kun • Photographers Ang Li Yan, William Neo, Jimmy Ang, Ronnie Koh, Erick Kencana, Jethro Fernandez

TOGETHER is produced up to two times a year. Current and previous issues of TOGETHER are available at www.trueway.org.sg.